Event Critique – Art Museum
Use the following format for your museum critique; answers must be typed below the
questions and all questions must appear in full on your final copy. You can use this
document as your template. Pay careful attention to the required number of words for those
questions that have them. Failure to follow the instructions here and on your syllabus will
result in a substantially low grade. Minimal answers poorly written are a D grade or less.
Elaboration of points, excellent arguments, and good writing garner higher grades.
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Name___Maegan Bates________________________________
Class time period (not section number)___HUM 1100 002 8:30-9:50_________
1) Which museum did you visit? (check one) ___ Univ. of Utah _X_ BYU
2) In 150 words, describe at least one of the broad collections on a theme, period,
geographic region, or topic) within the museum.
The display that I chose for this one was called, “Bring Me the Head of Saddam
Hussein.” It is the famous superhero, Captain America holding the world’s most notorious
dictators head of Saddam Hussein and shows that the head was ripped off and he is
holding him by his hair. This specific display and pose that he is in, is associated with the
story of David and Goliath, the classic narrative of good versus evil. The title of this display
also represents the death of John the Baptist, brought about by the schemes of Salome
and Herodias. Salome danced for King Herod and was promised anything she wished.
John had offended her mother Herodias, and when asked which promise they wanted
fulfilled, she uttered the infamous, “Bring me the head of John the Baptist.”
3) Give a brief, one paragraph (100 words) description of a special exhibit (ask the
curator what these are; they are usually in one of the first rooms):
The display I chose for this one was a theme revolved around “Hero’s”. It is a rectangle
picture framed collage of different cut out comic strips right from an old hero comic book.
They made it into two words that read out, “FANTASTIC FDNY”. The words were striped
red, white and blue, from top to bottom. Around the edges were all sorts of the different
circles of sayings that would be in a comic book of the things the characters would say. The
color of all those were a tan color and the wording was black so it would bring out the red,
white, and blue words that are the main picture.
4) What kind of information is provided about the works? Tell me three places you
might find more detailed information that doesn’t include the web {hint: ask a curator
for help with this question}
You could find a lot of the information by going to the school or campus that it is close
to. If it is a museum related place, it will most likely be around or on a college campus.
Another one would be a newspaper ad of an event going on in a museum or a special
display that they are having in the museum that night. One last one that the curator said is,
by looking around campus anywhere and even farther away from campus if you go to
school or live next to one, they will usually have advertised posters of the special displays
or events going on at the museum that you can read about and they will tell you the time,
place and when it is.
5) Choose several works that particularly appealed to you. Explain why you were
drawn to these works. Comment on the subject, style, medium, time period, etc. Who
were the artists?) This question must be answered in its entirety. (This should be at
least 500 words
The first picture we came to was called, “Plowing the Valley of the Salt Lake.” This is a
picture or painting of a father figure pulling the plow in the field and his son beside him and
helping him put the seeds down for the garden. I think the subject of this display was
meaning hard work and working back in the old days on the farm and fields. I feel like this
represented me and my family in a way that we used to work outside a lot in gardening and
working with our dad out in the field. My grandpa had horses and we would go there at
least once a week and help feed and water them and clean their shoes.
The next one we went to was called, “Washday on the Plains”. This picture is a group of
older ladies, mother figures standing in a circle together and washing their clothes in maybe
the 1800’s. They are washing their clothes all by hand and in a bucket of water with their
wash boards. I think that it works well with my family because we always make Saturday
the big cleaning day in my family and make sure the whole house is clean. When I first took
a look at this photo, I thought of every Saturday I spend with my family cleaning the whole
house and doing all the laundry. Once we have the laundry all done and house all cleaned,
we take the laundry upstairs, put in a movie and get started on folding and sorting. I think I
can relate to this photo because our, “Washday” is on Saturday and cleaning day.
The last one that I came to I knew it was one to write about because it tells all about me.
This painting is called, “Idaho Landscape-Snake River Bottoms.” It is basically just a
landscape painting of the woods, green trees and narrow walk ways. When this women
was painting this landscape she was expecting her first child, and her husband was in the
U.S. Army in France. After his return and the birth of their first child, her painting career
changed dramatically. I think that is very cool when she was carrying her first child she
painted this calming, relaxing landscape of the outdoors and nature. I can relate to this
painting because me and my family have a cabin up in the mountains that we love to go
visit every once in a while. If I could live there I would because it is private and so relaxing. I
go there because it’s peaceful and if I have something on my mind or need to not think
about anything and relax, that’s where I would go. So as soon as I saw this painting I
thought of going to my cabin up in the woods and being relaxed.
6) How did the artworks you looked at relate to material we have discussed in
class? {They do relate in many ways, you just need to look for those relationships}
Minimum of 150 words.
I think that all of humanities ties into these art museums and things in them. When we
first talked about humanities and what makes us human. What our values are and what
affects our values and choices. I think many of these paintings I saw and portraits of things
that people have spent so much time on, represent something in the artists life and things
going on in their life. For example the lady that painted the landscape that was relaxing and
a calming thing to look at because she was pregnant and with her husband gone, I think
painting was her happy place that made her feel at home. If art was your passion and that’s
what made you human, your love for something and your hobby, then I think that would
definitely relax you and make you feel at ease.
7) What was your personal reaction to this experience? Would you enjoy attending
this type of event again? Why or why not? {Minimum 100 words}
I would love to go to another one of these events again. It was a cool experience going
into a museum and being able to look and read what people consider art and talent. Some
displays were really cool and made sense to how they were art and how they meant so
much to people. Some paintings and displays were meant to be in a museum to be looked
at and honored for. Some displays I didn’t understand what the meaning was behind them
and why they were in a museum but they were there for something. My reaction to this
experience was different than what I pictured it to be like. I thought it would have been
much more boring to come to a museum and look at pictures. But there were more
paintings and 3D displays that you could look at and read about why they are so important
and the significance of them.